Every year at CES someone is showing off a pair of portable video glasses, the mythical mirrorshades, and every year they’re a bit crap. The Vuzix Wrap 920AV are the latest contenders, putting a virtual 60-inch screen (at a 9-foot simulated view distance) front and center.
If they manage more than a VGA output I’ll be shocked (the “supports a PC via S-Video” bit in the press release is ominous), but it’s the other, optional aspects I find the most intriguing: dual display for 3D augmented reality overlays; Bluetooth 3-axis head tracking (which clips on, I suspect); USB-powered stereo cameras; and custom prescription lens inserts.
They are, without a doubt, mega-nerdy. Still, for you, I will give them a whirl. No price is yet set, but a similar product from Vuzix is $350.
Update: Travis08 writes in the comments:
Here is a picture of me in Newsweek from CES wearing videoglasses in 1993. I was a senior in HS and stood in line for an hour for a chance to try them out.Upon doing so, a photographer snapped my photo and said “check Newsweek next week”.
They’re all a bit crap because the ones designed well (e.g. Sony Glasstron) are too expensive for anyone but the most dedicated uber-geek to risk buying.
I’m still waiting for commercialization of projection on retina displays.
If the input is s-video, I’m afraid it’s significantly worse than VGA resolution. Probably 320×240 or so. (That’s QVGA, or Quarter VGA resolution.)
I should clarify: I meant that while the panels might be 640×480, you’re not going to be able to resolve a full 640×480 worth of pixels sharply through an S-Video input.
Right! (I just needed to say something to imply that I knew that S-Video was crappier than VGA.)
Here is a picture of me in Newsweek from CES wearing videoglasses in 1993. I was a senior in HS and stood in line for an hour for a chance to try them out.
Upon doing so, a photographer snapped my photo and said “check Newsweek next week”.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/3170773811_8f673f8de4_o.jpg
The 3D augmented reality bit sounds interesting. However, in order to be true augmented reality wouldn’t the glasses also need to have a built-in webcam of some sort in order to reproduce the view in front of you onto which they overlay the 3D augmentery?
If you’re using a HUD to mow your lawn, you’re doing it wrong. You need a robomower.
I’ve played with vuzix’s previous glasses, and they are Crap.
They seem to have replaced the ear pieces, which is great, because I think I dislocated an ear trying to get their last pair to work. I gave up on the audio, and removed the headphone attachment, only to find out there was no way to keep my computer from using them as headphones… so no audio from my speakers while they’re plugged in…
The “3d” is at best bad cutout shapes that hover 1/8th of an inch off the screen, more of a “2d x 2″ than 3d.
The flicker is visible, and annoyingly painful after a few minutes. The resolution is atrocious, since the display seems to split the signal, giving you half the vertical resolution, which isn’t much considering it’s coming through s-video…
The ear bars don’t work for me, hurt my ears, the nose pad is too narrow for my nose, and even with the tight fit won’t keep the glasses up.
Worst of all was the tracking. left and right worked a bit, but up and down did not, at all, has a huge issue with magnetic fields, and would jump about in the “down” position, and sometimes pop over to “up” without rime or reason, without ever reacting more than a few pixels worth when my head was actually moving. There is NO fix for this, if you have a decent set of speakers or a crt, your screwed. If you have a 600 watt sub, a set of BOSE 901′s and a 21″ 2058×1536 SGI CRT, like me, it makes them completely useless as anything but a crappy monitor.
Using them to watch movies or anything is out of the question due to the crap resolution, the intense discomfort, and the lighting also makes my head hurt…
Oh yeah, and the software is crap.
Maybe they fixed it between the 920AV and the 920VR, which I had, but somehow I doubt it.
Sorry, I ramble, but this was one of my worst purchases of 2008… Buying two before trying one first has also made me a bit bitter as well.
On that note, anyone wanna buy a pair of 3d glasses? They’re in very good condition, barely used.
Damnit, Travis, when are you going to mow the damn lawn already?
–Dad
P.S. I think we all know why there aren’t a decent pair of mirrorshades already: it will be a scant five minutes after they hit the market that folks will start being rickrolled by a bukkake video from the POV of the recipient.
….so are there any videoglasses that are genuinely recommended as good? i was just about to buy the Vuzix AV920, thanks for the warning.
anyone know a good head-to-head review of the market?